Bastian Schweinsteiger was one of the players of the World Cup in Brazil and in the final was one of the star players even having his face stapled when he split it in a head clash. Germany won the world cup and he played such a huge roll but he is not just a strong player, his ability on the ball to play passes and make himself available for the return is second to none.

Watch the Tactics Board session on the link below that helps to develop players to have that ability to distribute the ball with pace and accuracy.

Call me strange but I like watching my team when we haven’t got the ball. In one of the matches we played this week my U10 team was attacking – all the players were in advanced positions. The opposition defence won the ball and were moving quickly to counter attack.

What was great to see was my players moving to cover the space they had left. The nearest player went to the ball and the others moved to cover. It was a great example of getting into a good defensive position and it stopped the counter attack immediately.

By moving into this defensive block, they were playing a compact game making the pitch smaller for the opposition by covering the space behind them.

This is a great tactic for young teams, they can work hard and win the ball back when they have lost it – but remember it is hard work and needs committed players!

To practise this I use a warm-up and a small-sided game:

Warm-up

Lay out several rows of two cones, about six yards apart.

Split your squad into pairs.

Players pass to their partner, then follow behind the pass and try to slow the advancing player using a jockeying technique – blocking the player’s movement without contact.

Small-sided game

Play a small-sided game on a pitch 30 yards long by 20 yards wide. I’ve shown a 4v4 in the picture but depending on the size of your squad you can use 3v3 or 5v5.

The player with the ball takes three touches on the move before they can pass. Players cannot kick the ball three times quickly when they are stationary.

No tackling at first, only jockeying. Allow tackling once the game has been played a few times. Opponents must close down quickly before the three touches are taken.

This game is about pressing and dropping in tight areas of the pitch. It helps your players’ decision-making skills where overloads are concerned – their judgment of when to press and when to drop during a game, depending on numbers and position on the pitch.

Playing in exercises that have a game structure helps players understand training principles.

How to set it up:

This game requires cones and balls.

Use two 30×20 yards areas with a gap between of 10 to 20 yards. The bigger the gap, the fitter your players need to be.

Two teams – whites and greys – play 4v4 in each area, with a five-yard cone goal at each end but no keepers.

Getting started:

Start both 4v4s at the same time, instructing one team when to press high and when to drop back to cover lower down the pitch. Play for five minutes.

Now assign numbers – in both boxes whites are 1, 2, 3 and 4. Greys in both boxes are 5, 6, 7 and 8.

Returning to the game, when you call out a number the two players who have that number must switch pitches to create overload scenarios.

Play for a further five minutes.

Progressing the session:

The players now don’t have numbers, and can play in either box. If greys are winning in one box but losing in the other, players can switch to assist, leaving team mates behind to defend their lead. Play for 10 minutes.

Why this works:

As the players switch pitches they leave and join different overloads, adapting their game in the process. In the progression, the decision of when to support the other team is left to the players. The challenge is very match-like in that respect – when to press and when to drop.

By David Clarke

Changing the dimensions of the field is a quick fix to a lot of problems.

Making the field larger gives the attackers and midfielders more space to show off their skills.

If a team is not scoring, increase the size of the pitch until they learn how to pass, shoot and score. Gradually reduce the pitch to the normal size and they will have learned what they have to do to score.

Making the field smaller helps the defending team by reducing the amount of space they have to cover.

The problem: Your team is not taking advantage when they win the ball to turn defence into attack.

The solution: Use a long narrow layout with small goals to force players into fast, direct attacks through the middle of the pitch. Attacking small goals needs swift passing to break the defence down and create opportunities to score. The shape of the pitch will force play to be quick and direct.

Set up a pitch that is 50 yards long x 10 yards wide, to create a tunnel effect where the players’ focus is narrowed like a racehorse wearing blinkers. Play games of 3v3 with small goals. No goalkeepers. Restart with a dribble or pass from in front of the team’s own goal.

I often set up a number of simple 2v2 games for my players to give them plenty touches of the ball and force them to think tactically and make decisions about when to drop when to tackle when to intercept or when to dribble or pass. There’s a whole lot of coaching going on in this one.

What I look for: quick defenders who move the ball quickly when they win it; good defensive positions – individual and pairs; awareness of space.

Key points

Speed – keep passes and touches to a minimum and be ready to spring into action.

Move directly towards the goal/target.

Sometimes, the fast break is not possible. It is important in these circumstances for defenders to keep possession and wait for the chance to play a forward pass.

How to set it up

Play 2v2 in a 20 yards by 10 yards area, split in two halves.

How to play it

Each team lines up on its goal line.

Play a 2v2 with the defending team restricted to its half.

To score a point, an attacker must dribble the ball across the defenders’ goal line.

If the defenders win the ball, they can launch an immediate counter attack.

The attackers then have to get back to defend as quickly as possible.

Once either team scores a point, or the ball goes out of play, possession is handed back to the original attacking team.

Play for, say 2 minutes, then swap team roles.

How to develop it

This time, if the defenders win the ball, only one can enter the opposition’s half.

The defender in possession can either dribble towards the goal line or pass to their partner, who breaks quickly into the other half.

If the counter attack isn’t possible, the only way a player can release their team mate into the opponent’s half is by crossing back into their own half with the ball.

Hitting teams on the break is a good tactic to use when your team is playing away from home against a team they know nothing about. Fast counter-attacks can take advantage of players being out of position.
Players need to be aware and alert to their team-mates and react quickly when the ball is turned over.

It relies on accurate passing and having the ability to hold off retreating defenders. You can watch the best counter attacks in the video below and play this exercise to help your players get used to running with the ball and holding the defenders off.

How to play it

Mark out an area 40 yards x 20 yards – you can make it smaller for younger players.

In one of the corners, mark out a 10 yards square with a small, coned goal in it.

In this soccer drill the ball is passed so the attacker can run onto it.

The attacker must take full control of the ball at this point. The defender starts his run as soon as the pass is made and his first action is to hold up the attacker. The attacker should change his pace to fool the defender.

The defender cannot tackle until they get into the marked-off zone.

Once they get into the marked-off zone, the attacker must try to lose the defender with a turn – for instance, a stop turn, then try to put the ball between the two cones.

The defender must stick close to the attacker and try to get a tackle in to win the ball.